Thrombolytic Therapy in Severe Arterial Insufficiency With Absent Distal Pulses

Abstract

Streptokinase therapy was used in 16 patients with severe ischemia of the limbs with undetectable ankle or wrist pressures. All patients had symptoms at rest with neurological deficits and the thrombolysis was considered an alternative to amputation. Limb salvage was achieved in 13 patients with 15 usages. Thrombolytic therapy was useful primarily as an adjunct to surgical therapy and was effective in lysing clots in small arteries not amenable to surgical methods. Thrombolysis was effective in relieving ischemic pain and in restoring pedal pulses in most instances. Streptokinase was used safely preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively.

The Role of Local Thrombolysis in Late Vascular Graft Thrombosis

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Thrombolytic therapy, naturally, is constrained by several well-known contraindications such as TIA or stroke in the past six months, surgical procedures in the past week, important traumas or implantation of an aorto-iliac prosthesis in the last fifteen days, and others already codified.…”